The purported Internet cafe that authorities allege was really a front for gambling had only been in Parsippany a few weeks. And in that time, the management company responsible for a strip mall housing it didn't learn much about the operation, a representative of the management company said.

"Chances are, you know more than we do," a representative of Lopez & Son, based in Newark, told NJ.com Wednesday. Reached at the company office, the man said he did not want to give his name, because the company would rather not be associated with the alleged gambling activity.

Four people were charged with gambling-related offenses after raids July 19 at Connections Cafe's two locations — one on New Road in Parsippany, and one on Route 23 in Pequannock.

At both locations, signs on the storefront appeared to advertise some sort of gaming. At the Parsippany location, signs reading "sweepstakes," "gameroom," "prizes" and "777" remained this week, even after the arrests.

Courtesy of the Morris County Prosecutor's OfficeFrom top-left, clockwise are Chester Ward, Gary Roach, Jason R. Bolsch and Jeffrey T. Spencer. They have all been charged with gambling-related offenses after police broke up an alleged gambling operation at two Connections Cafe locations.

A Facebook page for the Pequannock location shows Mayor Rich Phelan and Councilman Edward G. Engelbart at a ribbon-cutting, smiling in front of similar signs. Pictures that do not include the Pequannock officials also show signs advertising "win cash prizes" and "Vegas-style games;" it was not clear if those signs were up when the officials visited.

The Lopez & Son representative said little of his company's work is on-location, and the management company didn't know anything about the alleged gambling beyond what its staff had read in news reports. He said he understood the business to be a Internet cafe, until he heard about the arrests.

"But the way any business works, in that town in particular (Parsippany), they have to go through the ringer, and the fact is, they did," he said. "I guess the questions should go to whoever gave them the permit to open."

Calls to Parsippany zoning officer Jennifer Collins were unreturned this week, and a staff member at the office said Collins might not be able to comment because of the ongoing investigation. A staff member at Mayor James Barberio's office said he would not be available until at least Monday.

From the Connections Cafe Facebook pagePequannock Mayor Rich Phelan appears at a ribbon-cutting for the Connections Cafe Internet Cafe earlier this year. Last week, authorities alleged the business was used for gambling.

Parsippany police referred questions to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, which said it could not comment on what municipal officials may have known about the alleged gambling operation, also citing the ongoing investigation.

In Pequannock, Phelan has said officials were "duped," despite having been at the location where gambling appeared to have been boldly advertised.

"They told us it was an Internet cafe, and they asked us to do a grand opening for an Internet cafe," he told NJ.com last week.

He also provided NJ.com with an March 16 e-mail from Connections Cafe owner Chet Ward, inviting the mayor to the ribbon-cutting, and describing the business as an Internet cafe. In the e-mail, Ward says he has been working with the local Rotary club to set up a formal opening.

Posts on the Facebook page suggest the business was operating in Pequannock for at several months prior to that point.

The Facebook page itself appears to advertise gaming in several ways. It
includes pictures of terminals where people appear to be playing
electronic card games. One message reads "Alot (sic) of big payouts over
the weekend! Open everyday come have some fun!"

Ward, 39, of Wayne, faces two counts on each of the following charges: third-degree promoting/operating a gambling facility, third-degree
promoting gambling by conduct that materially aids gambling activity,
fourth-degree maintaining a gambling resort, and fourth-degree
conspiracy to maintain a gambling resort.

Law enforcement seized more than $60,000 in cash and $100,000 in
electronics when searching the two locations, under a warrant issued by
Judge Thomas Manahan.

The investigation included law enforcement officers from the
Morris County Prosecutor ’s office, United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement's
Homeland Security Investigations, the Pequannock Township Police
Department and the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department.

A statement from the prosecutor's office did not detail each
individual's alleged role with the gambling operation, or with the
business. It also did not describe how long gambling was alleged to have
taken place, how many patrons the gambling operation may have had, or
how much money the gambling operation may have taken in over time. It
does not explain the involvement of the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement office.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said he could not address those
issues, as the investigation into the matter is continuing.

Multiple messages a to the advertised number for Connections Cafe in Pequannock, the same number Ward provided to Phelan, have gone unreturned. No voicemail service was available at a number advertised for the Parsippany location.

Police are asking anyone with information on the alleged gambling
operation to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at
973-285-6200 or the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Stopper Program
at 973-COPCALL.